Italian who shot at Africans jailed for 12 years: reports

By AFP - 04 October 2018 - 14:46

FILE IMAGE: Italian national Luca Traini was on Wednesday sentenced to 12 years in prison for wounding several foreign nationals in a drive-by shooting in Macerata, Italy. Image: HO/ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP

A far-right sympathiser who went on a shooting spree against Africans in a revenge attack in the central Italian town of Macerata was Wednesday jailed for 12 years, media reports said.

Luca Traini embarked on his two-hour assault in February, following the sordid murder of a young Italian woman allegedly at the hands of Nigerian drug dealers.

Pamela Mastropietro's body was found dismembered and stuffed into suitcases days before Traini's attack.

The two incidents, which occurred at the height of Italy's tense electoral campaign, shook the country and laid bare deep tensions surrounding immigration.

Pro-migrant demonstrations across Italy condemning the shooting were in contrast to an outpouring of support for Traini who received messages of solidarity for his actions.

Controversially, no politician paid a visit to his victims in hospital.